About 50 camp sites near Kern river with restrooms, water spigots, fire rings, and picnic tables. It's lovely to camp by the river. People fish, tube, and swim in the river. There's a nearby town with rafting and other guided activities in the river. The restrooms are vault toilets. They are clean! The camp host, Carrie, and her husband do a great job of managing the restrooms and the camp grounds. They were lovely to meet. read more

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Great site with easy access to a kid friendly area of the river. Restrooms are clean and big.

Great location right on the river and easy to find right off the road but still quiet. Really friendly camp host. Highly recommend! read more

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So I've visited Camp Three many more times since this review was left. I think the most insightful thing I have to add to it is that the river changes each year dependent upon rain fall, snow melt, current and past temperatures. It can be a peaceful place to camp or a roaring adrenaline fueled near death experience, to be quite frank. They call it the killer kern for a reason! Life jackets should be part of what you're bringing and kids that can't swim shouldn't be in the water. The campground is in a great location, but the upper sites (lower campsite numbers; e.g. 17 {higher} VS. 46 {lower})have the greater roaring rapids and pose the most danger. Although there is a raft launch towards the bottom that is for experienced kayakers only. All in all I've brought many friends and some family up to Camp Three over the past 8 years and the bottom line is some people love it and want to return, others never want to return because of the river itself and its obvious danger or the summer heat and lack of showers. Different strokes for different folks. read more

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The hosts Kelly and Kent were very helpful and friendly. We enjoyed camping there and after hiking we lazed in the river. We would definitely recommend this campground. read more

Nice campground along the Kern River. Some of the camp spots were tight to pull into. If you have a larger RV over 24 feet, it might be tricky to get into some of those spots. But select ahead of time and you can pick ones with longer parking spots. Otherwise it's a great location along the river. When we went, the water was flowing, quite strong, around 6400 ft.³ per second, but was great for some class three rapids. read more

A SoCal covid craziness getaway, but it's also our favorite yearly trip to paradise. This place is beyond beautiful. Sat perfectly on the Kern River with the friendliest camp host is Campground 3. I've came here once a year every year since I was 5. This place is my version of heaven. It's not glamping, but it is amazing! In the middle of nature surrounded by roaring rapids, wildlife, and the beautiful night sky, so peaceful. read more

Camp Three Campground - Campgrounds Near Me - Kernville, California

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Great for a lower elevation campground, right on the Kern River! There's greenery, scenery, sand and water. COST: It's $28 per night which is higher than other non-privately owned campgrounds but the sites are fairly large, with decent privacy (for a desert campground) and half are on the riverfront... THE GOOD: It was our first time visiting the Kern River area. We just camped 2 nights over the weekend, with no reservations (May 18th 2018) and we were able to find what I consider one of the best sites there, #45, even arriving late at 8:00PM. Sites #43-46 are riverfront (along with more but it was getting dark, couldn't see them too well)...there are some small trees and shrubs blocking the view but adding an unexpected tropical-esque feel. No biggie as we had a private, direct access white sand beach 100ft from our tent, perfect for swimming on a calm day and big enough for a couple chairs and also a good sized rock to sit or lay out on. It was a great base camp with good fishing spots within a 10 min drive, very scenic desert hiking along the river was about 25 mins up the road and the Sequoia forest/Avenue of 100 Giants was about 40 mins up the road, as were several stunningly beautiful green meadows. Even a waterfall was within 25 mins. Town is about 10-15 mins south. THE BAD: Restrooms- Pit toilets EWW. The bathrooms are big and clean except when you lift the lid up and literally 50 flies come out. This became a very "f*** this, we're going outside" type situation. Ladies, take warning. The Bugs- Do not eat in the dark unless either A: you love flying insects smacking their little fluttering wings at your face, B: you don't mind a variety of insect species landing on you, your gear and your food, or C: you have magic solutions like citronella candles and effective bug spray to shield you and your surroundings. They weren't even mosquitoes, they were lots of something else. Also, ants...black, red...little, big...ZIP YOUR TENT. RAFTING: Rafting rafting rafting seems to be the popular activity and we too had to experience the Kern River in such a way. We made same day reservations with Sierra South Rafting in town for 2 adults and an 8yr old. Cost a pretty penny for only 40 mins of actual rafting but was less extreme than other companies (for families with kids under 10) with Class II-Class III rapids and was also cheaper than other companies. It was obviously super fun but very f'ing short in our opinions. You pay for 1 hour...you get 20+ mins of instruction and waiting and 35 mins or so of actual rafting. The End... read more

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Our group of 16 stayed from June 24-27. Thank goodness for the nearby river because the daytime heat was very oppressive. True enough, they can't control the weather, but the pit toilets were not cleaned after the 20th (see photo). We arrived 4 days after that, and they were still acceptably clean, but deteriorated daily because of the heat and negligence. By the day we left, everyone swore they would not return. If I knew how to get a refund (even a partial one), I would try. We've camped at pit toilet sites before, but 7 days without a cleaning in completely unacceptable to me. On the up side, it is only a few minute's drive to town for supplies, some nice restaurants, and river rafting venues. Mike read more

Camp Three Campground - Photo taken at 8:00AM Sunday 27th June 2021. Didn't want to post a photo of the actual toilet, duh! - Campgrounds Near Me - Kernville, California

We camped 1 1/2 nights Friday-Sunday of Memorial weekend & I'm so glad we got this site. There were a lot of cancellations for a Friday night because of the chance of rain, so it was very quite Saturday morning. When I reserved online the only spot left was site 20, which is listed as a "walk up" site meaning technically there's no parking. However, if you have a small car or small SUV there is a small spot right in front of the site & as long as you are clear of the road they don't mind if you park there. Otherwise there is parking just to the right at the group camping sites. As other reviewers mention the restrooms are big & clean, just no lights. So don't forget your lantern. There are also ample water spigots throughout the camp ground, which are easy to access. We arrived at 2am and it was easy to setup our tent as the sites are clear & fairly level. The river running so close was an amazing natural soundtrack to sleep to. The only downside was many of the sites, including #20, are open exposed to the elements. There's no shade or natural wind blocks where you'd setup your tent in most sites. Bring a canopy for shade. If I had known I would've chosen a site at the other end (in the 30-40s) if it had been available as those seemed more sheltered from the wind with more trees surrounding. read more

Camp Three Campground - Campgrounds Near Me - Kernville, California

I LOVE Camp 3!! My friends and I have been coming here for the past 3 years and we always get the same campsite. Sorry, can't tell you which one, just in case we want to book it, we don't want it to be reserved :). Most site are along the river. We usually walk about 10 mins north of the campsites and tube down to our site. The river has been low lately so the ride down is pretty slow and relaxing. There are lots of rocks on the river so don't forget to lift your bum up when going down because you will get severely bruised. Also, water shoes are a must!!! Not a lot of shade here but that's ok, just bring canopies. Restrooms are clean, water spout outside. NO SHOWERS AT CAMPSITE Close to Kernville. Tons of restaurants, shops, and market near by. Don't be afriad of starving out there because you WON'T! You can in fact do all your grocery shopping when you get up there. The market has EVERYTHING you need for the same prices you pay down here. Items are not over priced! I can't wait to camp and lay out on the river next year! read more

We came here for the first week of June from Thurs to Sun. It was an amazing time overall. The camp host Mark was great and a wealth of knowledge and info on the campsite and general area. Yes what people say are right. No electricity, great scenery, no cell phone svc (only mine worked a little go Verizon lol), pit toilets but I didn't have any issues or lingering smells, and yeah u have to be very selective on your site. Some have limited to no shade. Our campsite was awesome and we came on a relatively quiet weekend. The river was perfect and I'm glad we brought all our river tubes! Pretty damn cold but actually tolerable and refreshing since it's so hot during the day. It was perfect to walk straight down from our site jump in the river and float to the end of the campgrounds and walk back. Here's an awesome tip. If you want a perfect tubing experience go drop in at the Edison power plant just a bit south of the campground and float all the way down to where bridge overpass is and exit to the right. Have someone drive u back and repeat! So much fun...and even safe for kids I say over 12 yrs old...weather was perfect too but kinda windy a few days. While we were there they were in the process of installing bear proof food storage boxes in all sites but we didn't have one in ours. There were threats of bears a couple nights too. One night around 11 a bear wandered into the campgrounds and started using the dumpster at the front entry of the grounds as a punching bag lol. We kept our food locked in the car with the windows rolled up at night. Imagine next time we go back there will be bear proof food storage containers so won't be an issue. The one thing that sucks here if you don't have an RV is no showers. Bring a solar shower or just use a bucket and the hose spigot next to the bathrooms....or just jump in the river lol. Don't drink the river water though you'll get giardia...or so our rafting guide said when we went actual white water rafting. The campground is located right in the middle of good action. South of the campground is all class 2&3 till Isabella. North of the grounds is mostly 3&4. So good location for rafters and tubers. The nearby quaint little town of Kernville will have everything u need and it's about a 10 min drive away. Try to avoid the general store u will see before hitting town, their prices are much higher than in town but ok if u just need ice or a drink. Last tip, don't bring anything glass to the campground. Mark was saying it's some ridiculous fine if your caught. So no beer bottles or glass cooking supplies! Can't wait to go back it's only about a 2.5 hr drive from OC! I'm not saying any campsite numbers, figure it out on your own like we did we don't want our best spots to be taken next time! read more

We just finished a camping trip there this weekend (Memorial Day) and had a really good time. The weather was perfect and being so close to the river is great. We did not risk any rafting, but the river was very pretty to watch and stick our toes in. The good: The camp hosts are awesome! Sandy was so friendly and helpful, I felt like we were family. She can sure talk, but it made the experience that much more enjoyable. The location is great Kernville is a cute little town with all of the necessities for a weekend. Plenty of liquor stores, gas stations and even a few restaurants if you need. We did not explore it, but there seemed to be a farmer's market taking place this weekend as well. Easy drive over to Lake Isabella to let the kids swim and dog's play. The bathrooms, for pit toilets, were surprisingly clean and "not-stinky." I do not know how they did it, but I have been to campgrounds in the past where you could smell the toilet from 3 sites away. These were much less odoriferous. :-) Considering it was Memorial Day, we expected a lot of noise and partying, but the hosts do a great job of monitoring that activity and keeping it a fun environment for all. The bad: I did truly enjoy our trip, however I will not be returning. It is only because my family does the "wrong kind" of camping for this location. We are travel trailer campers, and we have a big trailer. 32 ft. The campgrounds, although the sites are big enough, are not set up for that type of camping. The access road/loop is very narrow and it makes it near impossible to get a trailer into the actual spot. It took me almost 1.5 hours to get the trailer in, with multiple re-hitching and eventually having to use my front hitch to get the trailer anywhere that I could use it in the site. It took me almost an hour to get it out. The road is not wide enough to allow for the truck to swing wide properly. Motorhomes seem to fair much better. If you have anything bigger than a tent trailer, be prepared for a serious challenge. read more

Favorite camp site. We have been camping here for the last 25 years and love it! The only thing I never look coward to is the bathrooms. However this year they were the cleanest ever and kept up for our 4 day trip. Our Host Sandy and David were the best so far!! read more

Camp Three Campground - Kern River July 2015 - Campgrounds Near Me - Kernville, California

Great camping with my family and everyone in the campground. Will be back every year! 100 read more

Camp Three Campground - My son really loves this place - Campgrounds Near Me - Kernville, California

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I stayed at the group one spot. It was worth it! Alot of space, dumpster in the area, drinking water spicket ( more like cleaning dishes spicket), restrooms and best up river access to go float down... read more

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This campground is a few miles past Kernville. Its right on the river so plan on that being your activity while you are here (rafting, floating, swimming, fishing). Not much hiking in the area. But its really like 50 feet from the river you can set up the tent and walk on down. The campground is nice not that many sites = not that crowded. Its very hit or miss with the shade and it is REALLY sunny and hot during the day so plan accordingly and bring umbrellas, covers, etc, to stay out of the sun or you will regret it. The spots on the side furthest away from the group camping had the most shade I think, but like I said its really hit or miss. The sky is so so so gorgeous at night. The reported low for the night was 57 degrees but we slept in tshirts and shorts with a sheet because it never really got that cold until maybe 4 am... and even then I just threw on a sweatshirt and an extra blanket and was fine. There are bugs so bring bug spray. This is wilderness middle of nowhere camping so bring everything you think you need. There is a general store but they ran out of wood and ice, and they mostly just sell drinks and beer. You can always drive back to Kernville for a hot dinner at one of their diners. There is absolutely no cell phone reception. Its about a 45 minute drive from here to the trail of 100 giants which is totally worth it. And if you have time just keep driving and go down the other side of the mountain on your way home ! Its totally different terrain and really pretty! read more

I came at the end of August with my family we arrived to some man sleeping in our campsite we had reserved over the Internet I had to wake him up and kick him out we set up camp at night the next morning we talked others and they said Bears coming to the campground every day or night to eat food before they hibernate ,we didn't see any bears but they came shortly before we arrived and the next day .we went fishing the fishing seem to be good .we had to leave early my son was sick The campground has shade in the Riverside spots look nice there were lots of families there and everyone seemed to be in order I hiked down river to a good fishing spot read more

Camp Three Campground - River at camp - Campgrounds Near Me - Kernville, California

Such a beautiful camp site to camp at over LDW! So peacefully with no cell phone service and much needed family quality time. The scenery was beautiful and the weather was perfect. read more

We were in site 46 for two nights in early August. When we arrived, the camp site was extremely dirty with food scrap all over the picnic table and garbage around the site. We got a bucket and brushes from the camp host to clean but the stench remained. The river and scenery was nice but the overall maintenance of the campground needs to be significantly improved. When we left, the dumpsters were overflowing with trash all on the ground. We love our natural resources and we should do our best to keep it clean. But the forest service should also have some accountability. read more